Matthew 8:18-34 (Click title for audio access)
"Follow Me!" • 7.11.10 • Sunday Morning Service
Intro
- Christ's ministry thus far has been fairly exciting. It would be easy to conclude that we would want to partake had we been there.
- Who doesn't want to follow a dynamic speaker? If the sermon on the mount is any indication, I would be the first one in line for more.
- Who doesn't want to see miraculous healings? When a leper's healing is the first miracle, you've got to know that the next miracles would be even more impressive!
- This week, we'll see that there is a mighty cost that accompanies this decision to follow Christ and He wants us to be sure that we know it.
Text
• Matthew 8:18,19 : "And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, 'Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.'" : Jesus has been ministering in the sea side town of Capernaum. As the multitudes grew, Jesus decided to withdraw across the lake.
- This would provide Jesus with a natural break in the action. At the same time, those on this side of the lake faced a decision to continue following or not.
- Just before departure, a scribe yelled out to Jesus, that he would follow Jesus wherever he went. That is a wonderful sentiment which I am sure the he meant in that moment.
- The scribes were the legal scholars and interpreters of the Mosaic law, educated in Jerusalem and endorsed by the Pharisees and Sadducees.
- He is excited, emotionally charged. Christ's wisdom and approach to teaching thrilled this scribe. He saw a future of great learning ahead of him.
- I wonder if this scribe had listened to the sermon and was still scratching his head! His interpretation was flawless and fresh! How come I never saw that in the scriptures!"
- He wanted to hear more teachings, see more miracles!
- He wanted to attach himself to this new Rabbi and get in on the ground floor.
• Matthew 8:20 : "And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.'" : With a simple proverb, Jesus answers this man's emotional intention.
- This scribe expected a life of ease and a prestigious seat next to Jesus. Maybe he would even be able to say that he had been there since the "humble beginnings."
- Jesus checks him at the door and tells him to count the cost, a timely word for us as well.
- It's obvious that Jesus has not listened to the church growth folks! There is nothing positive about this response. I wonder if Jesus' staff said, "Hey, we could use a scribe here!"
- Jesus very clearly lets him know with a common rabbinic euphemism of the day that he was asking for something that was not on the menu.
- Rabbis would say this to indicate that they would not where they were going to end their day.
- Jesus says the same thing, but adds this Messianic note. The Son of Man, a Messianic title from Daniel and Ezekiel, had no idea of where He would stay!
- For all intents and purposes, we would call Jesus a homeless man!
- His saying meant that if you followed Him, you were picking a road with little glory! While Jesus does not dissuade this man, He certainly makes sure that He knows the truth.
- For those who would desire to follow Jesus, let Him know this truth: There is a steep cost. One of the first things on the chopping block is our own personal comfort.
- It's easy to get emotional and excited about Jesus, but that will never carry you through the realities of walking with Him.
- There will be great stories, but they will usually come through difficult circumstances.
• Matthew 8:21,22 : "Then another of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' But Jesus said to him, 'Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.'" : This time, Matthew gives us a statment from another potential disciple. He wants to follow Jesus as well, but he has a noble sounding request.
- Listen closely to these words: "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." If the first man's mistake was to think too little of his desire, this man was thinking too much!
- He begins with the right title, Lord, but then completely contradicts himself.
- To employ the word "Lord," meaning "Master" implies a knowledge that they are in a "Master/Servant" relationship.
- To say, "let me first go" and anything misses the point of this relationship. If He is my master, I will first do whatever He commands me to do first.
- Again, this is another common idiom, heard even today in the Middle East. "Let me first bury..." refers to taking care of family business first.
- The man that is saying this does not have an imminent issue at hand. His Father had not died and it was likely that his Father was in good health.
- I have heard various thoughts on it's meaning, ranging from a polite dismissal to procrastination to protecting an inheritance.
- Regarding the inheritance, it may refer to this man's desire to be financially set up before attaching himself to Christ. In either case, the issue is one of priority.
- Jesus says clearly that the priority in a disciple's life is to follow the demands of the Master. If Jesus has called you, He gets priority!
- He tells the man to "Follow Him and to let the dead bury their own dead." Wow, that sounds so harsh! Is Jesus being callous? Does He not care about family relationships?
- That is certainly not the case. He Himself wrote that we are to honor our Father and Mother.
- The point here is that if I am to follow Him, then He is to have the priority. He is to have our first loyalty, even above familial responsibility, which was the conflict that seized this particular man.
˚ "The tragedy of life is so often the tragedy of the unseized moment. We are moved to some fine action, we are moved to the abandoning of some weakness or habit, we are moved to say something to someone, some word of sympathy or warning or encouragement; but the moment passes and thing is never done...Jesus was saying to this man: "You are feeling at the moment that you must get out of that dead society in which you move; you say you will get out when the years have passed and your father has died; get out now - or you will never get out at all!" William Barclay
- If you are to follow Jesus, you must count the cost and when the cost is assessed, you must be willing to come no matter the loss!
• Matthew 8:23-25 : "Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We are perishing!'" : Finally, Jesus gets into the boat with his disciples. It's no mistake that his disciples followed Him. It's their boat, but it's HIS LAKE!
- They have seen a lot this particular day, but the show is just starting for them! Following Jesus has led them directly into a storm. How does that happen?
˚ "Such storms result from differences in temperatures between the seacoast and the mountains beyond. The Sea of Galilee lies 680 feet below sea level. It is bounded by hills, especially on the east side where they reach 2000 feet high. These heights are a source of cool, dry air. In contrast, directly around the sea, the climate is semi-tropical with warm, moist air. The large difference in height between surrounding land and the sea causes large temperature and pressure changes. This results in strong winds dropping to the sea, funneling through the hills."[i] Donald B. DeYoung
- Cool air descends and meets this warm air on the sea, and because it is relatively shallow, the water is easily made turbulent. Literally, the words "great tempest" means a "mega shaking!"
- Immediately, the boat, not likely very large, was covered in waves. It was overwhelming these professional fishermen, but it was not affecting Christ, who was asleep!
- How does that happen? I am always amazed at the ability of people to sleep in any circumstance. I require a very dark, quiet room, with some soothing music or talking, on my iPod.
- Others can sleep with all the lights on, music blaring, etc. The fact that Jesus was asleep likely points to how exhausted that He was.
- The disciples after some time trying to figure things out on their own, finally come to rouse Jesus from sleep with their fatal cry. "Lord save us, we are perishing!"
- A few things come to mind: How long does it take for your storm to churn until you call out to Him? He is in the boat, but He is left where He is.
- Jesus knew that this storm would reveal something to the disciples about themselves. That is what every storm does!
- Perhaps they thought how childish these other men had been. They hadn't the guts to join when they had the chance, but they, THEY were man enough and would follow at all costs!
- How quickly their bravado turned to fear at the sight of the storm!
• Matthew 8:26,27 : "But He said to them, 'Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?' Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, 'Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?'" : Sometimes I hear Jesus saying the same words to me. "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"
- I can not sit in judgment over these disciples, because Jesus has been in my boat too, and I have spent many an hour in fear despite His presence!
- The storms of life have made my knees buckle too!
- He said this to them and put His finger on why every storm in our life exists. It exists to show us the character of our faith and how deeply we need Jesus to calm our fears and anxieties.
- You might say, "I'm not fearful." to which I would reply, "You are a liar!" Fear is the common enemy of us all!
- Earlier, Jesus had marveled at the great faith of the Centurion. Here, He remarks to the disciples that their's was little faith, or faith in little portion.
- If I were there, I might have asked him to delay the message and do something about the storm first!
- Why was their faith the issue? Faith is always the issue. Faith is the central issue in your life. Do you trust Him with your salvation? Do you trust Him to lead and guide you?
- Ah, do you trust Him with your finances? Do you trust Him with your relationships?
- This will always be the reason for the storm! I hate storms, but I need them to be strengthened.
- I need the wind and the waves to overwhelm me, otherwise, I have no context for how great the Lord is!
- With a simple word, Jesus changed their circumstance. He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea. Literally, he restrained them!
- As with the centurion, only a word from Christ was necessary to bring things back to normal.
- Jesus is not outside of the storm. He commands it to come and He commands it to stop. He is the Lord of the storm.
- He designates it's beginning and He determines it's end! Please notice the curve of this story. It begins with a command from Jesus to enter and it ends with a command from Jesus to end!
- The sea goes from a great tempest to great calm! Jesus goes from sleeping to immediately active and what is the result? The men go from questioning Christ to confessing His power!
- They marveled and said "Who can this be!" Even the winds and the sea obey Him!
- In the same story, in a matter of moments, you see Christ's humanity in His sleep and His divinity in His command of the storm.
• Matthew 18:28,29 : "When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, 'What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?'" : I can only imagine what was going through the disciples minds. They finally hit the shore after their perceived near death experience.
- They are still ringing out their wet clothes, when they hear the shriek of these two demon possessed men. "Great, more adventure!" they must have thought.
- "Now, I see why those guys turned back!" "I should have taken the other pill that Morpheus offered me!"
- The country of the Gergesenes bordered with the territory of the Gadarenes. In this story, Matthew presents us with two men who have come out of the tombs.
- In the other synoptic gospels, only one is mentioned, which likely refers to the dominant demoniac, perhaps the spokesperson.
- It was a source of defilement to have touched a dead body. These men LIVED among dead bodies. They were dangerous, savage like and there was no way not to confront them.
- They forced conflict upon people. The disciples might have wanted to pass by, but they would be unable to do so. These men speak, but it's the demons who are talking!
- Understand that the demons have excellent theology. They believe in Jesus. They know who He is and they know what their future is.
- They believe the right things, but these demons can never be saved or delivered from their destiny. They are forever lost.
- I say this because it's not enough to believe the right things. Our actions betray a life of belief or unbelief!
- These demons would speak the truth about God and then go back to cursing Him with their next breath! Theirs is a life of constant contradiction.
• Matthew 18:30-32 : "Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, 'If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.' And He said to them, 'Go.' So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water." : Contextually, one wonders about these swine that are being kept as livestock. This group of people were either Jewish and completely rebellious, or they were Gentiles.
- If they were Jewish, then they were illegally performing this service to the community!
- In any event, demons will inhabit something living when they are cast out. We do not understand this, but this is what Matthew has given to us.
- With a word, Jesus sends them out into the swine and the swine run into the sea.
- Nothing is said of the men that have been relieved of their demons, but they were free.
- The swine, representing a large amount of money, and a group of farmers however, were no more. They drowned in the sea of Galilee.
• Matthew 18:33,34 : "Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region." : Imagine the shock of the pig herders. What does it look like to see a herd of pigs suddenly rush into the sea?
- It's interesting what happened. They went into the city and told of the entire account, including what had happened to the men.
- That is mentioned last, but it is mentioned and it's likely the most important information. Two dangerous men have been changed. The men from the tombs have been tamed!
- Those who have been the most dangerous to society have been dealt with. These isolated, violent men have been delivered!
- This makes the next verse quite obvious. The whole city came out to meet Jesus! But it's not what you think. They did not come out to bless Him. They came out to banish Him!
- They wanted Jesus to leave. And what did Jesus do? He left their region.
- What can you say. Jesus will not stay where He is not wanted! He told the truth to the men who wanted to follow Him and they turned back.
- He showed His power to an entire city and they refused Him! He did not stay and try to convince them, any more than He would have changed His message to the other men.
Conclusion
- Throughout this whole section, we have been confronted with the choice to follow Jesus. He tells us the truth: It won't be easy and you can't choose the road before you.
- Storms and difficult men lay in your path, but only those who follow Jesus, get to see the Lord of the storm and the deliverer of men in action!
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